Adult mosquito predation and potential impact on the sterile insect technique

Nanwintoum Séverin Bimbilé Somda,Serge Bèwadéyir Poda,Wadaka Mamai,Thomas Wallner,Hanano Yamada,Thierno Bakhoum,Hamidou Maïga,Jérémy Bouyer

doi:10.1038/s41598-022-06565-1

Abstract

The sterile insect technique is a promising environmentally friendly method for mosquito control. This technique involves releasing laboratory-produced sterile males into a target field site, and its effectiveness may be affected by the extent of adult mosquito predation. Sterile males undergo several treatments. Therefore, it is vital to understand which treatments are essential in minimizing risks to predation once released. The present study investigates the predation propensity of four mantis species (Phyllocrania paradoxa, Hymenopus coronatus, Blepharopsis mendica, Deroplatys desiccata) and two gecko species (Phelsuma standingi, P. laticauda) on adult Aedes aegypti, Ae. albopictus and Anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes in a laboratory setting. First, any inherent predation preferences regarding mosquito species and sex were evaluated. Subsequently, the effects of chilling, marking, and irradiation, on predation rates were assessed. The selected predators effectively preyed on all mosquito species regardless of the treatment. Predation propensity varied over days for the same individuals and between predator individuals. Overall, there was no impact of laboratory treatments of sterile males on the relative risk of predation by the test predators, unless purposely exposed to double the required sterilizing irradiation dose. Further investigations on standardized predation trials may lead to additional quality control tools for irradiated mosquitoes.

Highlights

Investigating adult mosquito predation would offer more biological control options and is vital to define its potential interactions with genetic control
Its success relies on the capacity of sterile males to mate with wild females and requires a sufficient number of sterile males of good quality to compete with wild males[28,29]
A good understanding of the impact of adult mosquito predation on laboratory-produced males would contribute to defining the sterile insect technique (SIT) requirements better, especially the quality and the number of mosquitoes to release in a target area

Summary

Introduction

Investigating adult mosquito predation would offer more biological control options and is vital to define its potential interactions with genetic control Genetic control techniques, such as the sterile insect technique (SIT), are promising tools as components of area-wide integrated management of mosquitoes. Its success relies on the capacity of sterile males to mate with wild females and requires a sufficient number of sterile males of good quality to compete with wild males[28,29] This requires mastering all components of the technique, from the laboratory to the field, that can critically affect the quality of the produced mosquito. A good understanding of the impact of adult mosquito predation on laboratory-produced males would contribute to defining the SIT requirements better, especially the quality and the number of mosquitoes to release in a target area. The selected gecko species are diurnal species which are more likely to interact with Aedes species, currently the main targets of SIT programs

Methods

Results

Conclusion